Jiniri
by Anandi
Summary: Talia, the Black Rose of Oman seems to have struck gold with her new first mate, the beautiful Cyra from Persia. But Sinbad and his crew discover that returning Cyra to the evil Caliph Wassim may be the worst mistake that Talia could have made! Confusions abound, wishes are granted and Sinbad is forced to travel through the forbidden portal to steal the Djinn's fabled gold!
1. Chapter 1 : Pride of the Seas

**Hello :) In this AoS fic, I planned a light-hearted, hopefully funny storyline. Jiniri is the female version of a Djinn. So, this story is gonna have a lot of magic in it and trips to the genie realm. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. Ed Naha does. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Pride of the Seas**

It was a beautiful day at sea. The Nomad was sailing in blue waters and the sun was shining in the sky above. But the Nomad wasn't the only ship in the waters of Mansour. For some time now they were being followed by what appeared to be one of the largest, most magnificent ships Sinbad had ever seen! Of course he wouldn't admit it as much since the Nomad always took first place amongst sailing vessels. Still, this newcomer of the ocean seemed to be the pride of the seas.

"Triple-masted, five square sails for every mast. I've never seen anything like it!", proclaimed Doubar in blatant admiration. He closed one eye and peered through the magnoscope again.

"Doubar, you've been giving a running commentary on the ship for nearly an hour now-",noted Sinbad, with an indulgent smile. He held the tiller firmly as a gust of wind played through his brown hair. "Can't you just wait until it gets closer so that your curiosity gets satisfied all at once?"

"It;s your lack of curiosity that surprises me, Sinbad!. I'm sure a powerful ship like that could only belong to the son of the Caliph of Mansour. Or perhaps a wealthy Pasha- Just look at it! It's painted in ornamental red and gold!"

"I would if you didn't hog the magnoscope",quipped Sinbad, coldly.

Doubar pulled away embarrassed. He quietly handed the instrument and Sinbad took a few steps back to observe the trailing ship.

"Triple-masted,all right. She must have three decks at-least! A splendid specimen of a sea-worthy vessel!"

"That's more like it!", lauded Doubar, delighted that Sinbad shared his adulation of the ship.

"Must support a crew of fifty-"

"Maybe more", vociferated Doubar enthusiastically.

Maeve walked up to the men and gazed into the horizon with Dermott on her arm. "What are you boys upto?",she quizzed.

"Here, take a look!",said Sinbad, politely offering his spyglass.

Maeve took a peek and stated blandly. "Hmph! It's a ship. What about it?"

Sinbad took a look at Doubar and turned away aghast at Maeve's lack of excitement. "It's a ship", imitated Doubar in muted exasperation. "Leave it to a woman to appreciate the rarer novelties in life!"

Maeve chuckled at their reaction. "I was only kidding, Doubar.",she assured, patting Doubar's arm as if to console him for injuring his feelings. "Yes, she is a fine ship and she's been on our tail for a long time-"

"No wonder!",cried Sinbad, stiffening in sudden alarm**. "She's a pirate ship!"**

**"WHAT?!",**bellowed Doubar at once. "It can't be!" He gave the tiller to Rongar and glared through the magnoscope. "Pirates never sail this close to the Port!"

"True",agreed Sinbad. "But,she's running the colors of a pirate ship. And she's got a figure-head as well. Strange, I've never seen such a decorative pirate ship before"

"Do we sound the alert all over the ship?!",demanded Doubar.

By now, Firouz had joined them.

"No,wait!",cried Sinbad again. He stared hard into the magnoscope**. "I don't believe it!"**

"What? What?",demanded the others.

"The flag colors are black allright.. a black rose stitched in white!"

**"Talia?!",**exclaimed Doubar, in disbelief.

Sinbad carefully held the instrument to his eyes. "It appears.. that we are about to have a rendezvous with our favorite pirate queen.."

Maeve's face fell at once. "Oh no",she moaned, ill-tempered. "I don't trust her one bit! She's nothing but trouble-"

"Come on,Maeve.." coaxed Sinbad, jovially. "Where's your sense of adventure? Talia maybe trouble but stick with her and she'll give you one heck of a ride! Your money's worth or else"

Maeve glared sullenly and moved away. Firouz studied the figure-head with interest. It was strangely disturbing. A white stone figure-head of Talia, leaning over the waters with a spear above her head.

"Her taste in statuary is..", commented Firouz, with interest.

"Revolting ",ended Doubar,firmly.

"Not the word I was looking for.. ", protested Firouz. "I would say, unique. Looks like she's struck gold!"

"And we'll soon find out why",replied Sinbad, grinning steadily at the approaching ship. He waited expectantly but deep down in his heart, he knew that Maeve was right. Talia was trouble with a capital T. But they couldn't escape the rendezvous now. The pirate ship was too close to the Nomad. They'd have to put their best foot forward and be wary at all times of Talia's trickery.

"If that was possible", sighed Sinbad to himself. He put his foot upon the bowsprit and leaned out in reception of the Black Rose.

* * *

The huge triple-masted ship drew up alongside the Nomad and a gangplank was drawn at once as a sign of welcome to Sinbad and his crew.  
**"Sinbaaaaddd!",** cried Talia in exhilaration as she appeared at the head of the gangplank. **"Welcome! Welcome aboard the Black Rose!"** She threw her arms wide open and enveloped him in a warm hug.  
**"Doubaaarr! It's so good to see you!",** hugged Talia, happily. She clasped Rongar and Firouz's hands in a friendly shake. "Maeve, sweetie! And Dermott, the cutest hawk in the world! Ohhhhh". Dermott flew up and perched on Talia's arm, much to the pirate's delight and Maeve's dismay.

"This is some ship!", exclaimed Doubar, staring appreciatively all around. Talia linked one arm through Sinbad's and the other through Doubar's and confessed, "It's finally happened, you guys. I've finally made it. This ship is mine and I've got enough cargo in the hold to trade for a lifetime.."  
Sinbad laughed, a mix of happiness and curiosity at how she managed to accomplish this feat. "Tell us your secret", he said, in good humor.  
"Ohhhh, there's plenty of time for that!",cried Talia. "First, I'm treating you all to a hot meal- Persian specialty!"  
"Persia?",echoed Firouz with a laugh.  
"You've been to Persia?",asked Sinbad, in surprise.  
"Yes.",replied Talia. "I went there on a mission for the Caliph." She raised her hands before Sinbad could protest. "No piracy. Just good, honest labor. I would even go far as to call my mission _noble_!"  
Doubar, Firouz and Rongar laughed. Maeve rolled her eyes and looked around. Suddenly she caught the eyes of a young girl,perhaps the age of Serendib, smiling shyly from the lower deck door.  
"Who is this?",asked Maeve, gesturing to the girl.  
Talia looked around and motioned to the girl to come forward. "Ohhhh, I forgot to introduce Cyra. She's the Persian girl I rescued. I'm bringing her back to the Caliph of Mansour for a handsome reward!"  
Cyra came forward, looking very shy and wide-eyed. She folded her hands ,gracefully raised them above her bowing head and knelt down to the ground before Sinbad and the crew. Sinbad stepped back at a loss of how to respond to this very formal greeting. The girl remained in her prostrated position.  
"Hmmmm... I think in the future you should replace that bow of yours with a handshake", observed Talia, amused.  
"A hand-shake", echoed Cyra in a foreign accent. She brightened and waggled her hand in the air with a smile. "Like this?"

"No! Not like that at all!", groaned Talia.

"Allow me",said Sinbad, taking Cyra's hand in his and giving a warm handshake. "This is how we say hello", he said, gently.

"Hello",replied Cyra, bashfully. "I..I haven't been around too many people", she said, by way of explanation for her shyness. "Captain Talia was the first person I saw in-"

"- two weeks!", bounced in Talia with an unusually boisterous laugh. "Haha.. it's maddening how long you can go without meeting anyone at all!"

Maeve giggled. It was very rare that she took an instant liking to people. She mostly distrusted them and was highly suspicious of their "friendliness". But she liked Cyra. Her manners seemed to be a mix of innocence, propriety and a sense of wonder at the events occurring around her. Also, Cyra clearly was quite a foreigner. She had lovely dark brown hair which was swept up to the top of her head in a knot. Some hair fell in locks , framing her bronzed oval face. She wore a costume unlike anything Maeve or the others had ever seen. Very loose pants and a tight velvet bodice which showed her belly button. She wore a vest over the bodice which was heavily worked off in embroidery. There was a large amulet around her neck, her only ornament.

"Come on, Sinbad",beckoned Talia, fawning on his arm. "While Cyra shows your crew to the dining table, why don't I give you a personal tour of the Black Rose and perhaps later,.." She gave a mischievous wink. "... the Captain's cabin?"  
Sinbad's face turned a glorious shade of red and Doubar and Firouz did everything possible to control their explosive laughter.

* * *

Talia took a deep breath of the salty sea sir. "Now I know how you feel when you walk across your Nomad",she said, one hand on her belt and the other flourishing across the length and breadth of her Black Rose. Her feet kept up a jaunty stride. She clenched her hands into fists in excitement. "This... solid feeling of ownership, of being the master of one's own destiny!" Her eyes shone like stars. "Ohhh, this is a feeling I've long since awaited,Sinbad. A ship of my own to sail where-ever I please!". Talia led Sinbad all around her huge ship which was carved in tropical teak and iron wood. The sails were dark orange and there were crow's nests on both of the tallest masts.  
"I don't see any sailors", remarked Sinbad, squinting hard at the nests. The thought struck him odd. "Actually, I don't see sailors anywhere at all"  
"Yeah well-", chuckled Talia, sheepishly. " You know how I have this paranoiac fear of mutiny-"  
"Talia-"  
"The only people aboard the Black Rose are me and Cyra, my trust-worthy first mate!"  
"What?!",gasped Sinbad in disbelief. He shook his head. "I don't believe it. You're joking-"  
"Oh, its true. It's true. Don't let Cyra's naïve appearance fool you,Sinbad. She is an expert when it comes to sailing ships. She was the reason I got this ship in the first place."  
"Uhhhuhhh",replied Sinbad, warily. "Why do I have the feeling that there is something more to all this,Talia?"  
"Sinbad, come on.." Talia gave one of her most disarming smiles. "I've finally settled well in life and I have all these riches to share and all you can do is scrutinize everything with a critical eye.."  
She pouted at Sinbad and he relaxed the terse expression on his face.  
"Forget your worries!",urged the pirate queen."This is Talia's ship you're sailing in!" Talia threw her arms wide and twirled happily. Her feet stepped lightly in a happy jig."Can you believe it? Only in my wildest dreams have I dared to imagine myself owning such a large sea vessel!"  
"She is a beauty", admitted Sinbad with a nod. His good-natured smile returned. Talia turned to him, coyly,  
"And you know, I'll get a handsome reward from the Caliph for returning Cyra. She is his long lost niece-"  
"I see.",said Sinbad ,recognizing the first signs of Talia about to turn on her charm. He stepped back and found the mast in his way. Talia grinned and linked her arms around Sinbad's neck. Sinbad grinned back uncomfortably.  
"It would be nice to share my wealth with a special someone-"  
"Talia, I've told you before-",began Sinbad but was quickly silenced with a toe-curling kiss.


	2. Chapter 2 : Tiny Sorceress

**Chapter 2: Tiny Sorceress  
**

The meal turned out to be a truly exotic treat. Cyra was an excellent cook. There were bowls of rice with roasted meat, lamb, chicken and fish! Even Doubar was take aback by the lavish spread. All the dishes were flavored with saffron, dried limes, cinnamon and parsley. For dessert, Cyra brought out an amazing variety of pomegranates, pears, plums, grapes and melons. She also interspersed the dishes with small bowls of long dates.  
"I have eaten these dates only during my voyages and that was nearly ten years ago!",reminiscence Sinbad, fondly. He pushed Maeve to try the truly original dishes of Persia. The others needed no such compulsion. They ate to their heart's content.  
"You still didn't tell us the secret to your good fortune,Talia",reminded Doubar, drowning a tall mug of wine.  
"Yes, well",replied Talia,in hearty modesty. "I decided to turn moral after our last tryst with the "eye of kratos".. "  
Rongar and Firouz immediately shot knowing looks and nodded fervently.  
"...and that's when I ran into the Caliph of Mansour. He wanted me to sail the seven seas and rescue his beloved niece from her kidnappers in Persia-"  
"Isn't that a long way to take the poor girl just to blackmail her uncle for gold?",asked Firouz. He was torn by feelings of empathy towards Cyra's sufferings. "Perhaps we should not talk of such disturbing memories when the danger is clearly behind us-"  
"Yes, I agree",said Talia,stoutly. "With just this one moral quest, I have amassed so much wealth. This doing good business, really pays off,doesn't it?"  
Doubar glanced darkly at Sinbad. "We wouldn't know. Sinbad has quite the generous heart that he sometimes requests no payment at all for his daring deeds!"  
Sinbad felt cornered. "Oh come on, when did I-"  
"Defeating Vincenzo-",said Doubar.  
"The mid-air battle in Mirhago",added Firouz.  
"Destroying Vatek the Ghoul",retorted Maeve. They laughed at Sinbad's open-mouthed expression for this was one of the rare occasions when the crew managed to get one up on their charming Captain. Rongar smiled and thumped Sinbad on the back that they were only kidding.  
Sinbad turned to Cyra,"Talia tells me that you are quite the sailor-"  
Cyra instantly choked over her spoonful of rice. Doubar handed her a glass of water in concern. With superb mastery of emotions,Cyra managed to smile through tears to the Captain."Yes.. yes I am", she managed weakly.  
"So, how exactly did you plan your rigging to get the best of the wind in the sails?"  
Cyra stared blankly at this. "I..I.." She turned innocently to Talia. "What is this rigging?",she asked.  
Sinbad shot a disappointed look at Talia. He didn't need further proof than this to know that Cyra knew as much about boats as they knew about Firouz's crazy science. He grew distant at once and signaled for his crew to return to the Nomad. "After all..",he said."Talia still has her mission to complete and we mustn't be in the way-"  
"Oh,come on-",argued Talia, realizing full well that Sinbad suspected she was up to her old tricks again. With several protests, she followed Sinbad and the men to the upper deck leaving Maeve alone with Cyra.

* * *

"Your Captain Sinbad", remarked Cyra, thoughtfully. "-he has great kindness in his eyes."

Maeve returned a smile and continued feeding pieces of meat to Dermott.

"He is very handsome!", commented Cyra with a laugh. She saw the look on Maeve's face and clarified, "I meant your bird"

"His name is Dermott and he is a hawk"

"Haha.. I too can-",began Cyra, excitedly and then covered her mouth with a start. She looked mildly distressed.

"What's the matter?",asked Maeve.

"Nothing I.. It's nothing..",replied the Persian girl. "I am unfamiliar with your world. I am always afraid that I might speak things I shouldn't" She bustled around the table, hastily stacking dirty plates and vessels in her hands. She made quick trips to the next room to deposit them on the counters. "Captain Talia admonishes me often to speak only the things which she instructs. Perhaps it is my incompetence that makes her nervous-"

"Talia? Nervous? That's a first!", huffed Maeve scornfully. "Listen, don't let her boss you around-"

"Indeed ,I cannot ignore her kindness in rescuing me from my lonely abode. And now that I am surround by so many people, I am at a loss on what to speak or how to behave-"

"May I see your amulet?", requested Maeve. "A family heirloom perhaps to ward off evil spirits?"

"Of course you may see it",replied Cyra, slipping off her chain. "It holds no purpose that I know of. Nothing can really harm me-"

Maeve gently fingered the rustic necklace made with a large blue stone nestled deeply in abstract wisps and swirls of silver surrounding its borders. The blue stone weighed heavily on its silver chain and seemed to contain delicate spires of green and brown that blended into each other like colors when first introduced in a bowl of water. "It's beautiful",whispered the sorceress, captivated by the stone. She padded after Cyra into the next room. "I think it's time Dermott and I joined the others-"

Maeve stopped dead in her tracks.

By the number of crockery that Cyra had carried to the room, the counters should be overflowing with plates and bowls. But there was not a vessel in sight - not even a spoon. And Cyra was disposing them with a flick of her hands. She reeled in surprise to see Maeve behind her. Maeve stepped back and Cyra anxiously stammered, "D..don't panic. I..I can explain.."

Things began to happen fast. Talia came bounding down the stairs and saw the astonishment on Maeve's face.

"You didn't?", snapped Talia at Cyra, who nodded piteously. "Get her out of my sight at once!"

"Don't come near me! I'm warning you!",yelled Maeve, hands outstretched and bracing herself against the counter for her fireball attack. Talia crossed her legs and calmly waited outside for the fiasco to end. After a while, there was silence.

"Maeve is gone?", asked Talia, stepping in to inspect the room. "Good! Now, no more foul-ups. Just let me return you to your Uncle and collect my reward!"

"Yes, Captain", said Cyra, cupping her hands in front of her and sidling away to the stairs. "Only let me say good-bye to the others. They are going to think it extremely strange and rude if I do not give my farewell-"

Cyra ran up the steps and gently opened her hands. Maeve stumbled up to her feet, struggling to keep balance in the wind. She nearly reeled when she saw Cyra's gigantic face looming up before her and her voice, like the sound of thunder in her ears. "I am sorry. I just didn't know what else to do. I couldn't get rid of you really-"

Maeve looked at herself and cried, "You _shrunk_ me! You..you are.."

"A Jiniri..",replied Cyra, partly serious and partly relieved that her secret was finally known."Yes, I am. But you needn't be afraid. I could have sent you to the farthest reaches of the desert sand or to the darkest depths in the sea.. but instead I chose to reduce you in size so that my Captain does not see you. And now I shall return you safety to your friends."

Ignoring Maeve's protests, Cyra cupped her hands once again and approached Sinbad. "Farewell Captain and may good fortune and health follow you in all your voyages-" Sinbad turned to face her and Cyra carefully deposited Maeve on the hilt of Sinbad's sword. "Farewell, Cyra.. I hope you find happiness with your new life in Mansour" "Perhaps one day you will visit me at the Palace.. I am sure the Caliph would be very pleased!"

"Yes, perhaps I will", replied Sinbad, happily. He shook hands with her. "See, you are learning our customs already-" Cyra waved goodbye and the gangplank was drawn back up to her ship. The Black Rose began to sail ahead towards the welcoming waters of Mansour leaving the Nomad behind.

"Dermott, get the amulet". Maeve,clung for dear life to Sinbad's scabbard while communicating telepathically to her winged brother. _"Get the amulet, quick!"_

The hawk flew swift and sure to the lower deck of the Black Rose. The necklace lay exactly where Maeve had dropped it when she had shrunk in size. Dermott pecked at the chain and gripped it in his beak before flying back once again to the Nomad.

* * *

**"Curses! The renowned Captain Sinbad and his infallible crew!"**,screamed the Caliph of Mansour, glaring at his mystical ball in fury."Why is that infernal pirate socializing with that do-gooder when she should be delivering her precious cargo posthaste! That is the reason we prefer pirates to do our dirty work in the first place! Pirates never socialize. **They only kill and destroy!"**

"This one seems to be the only exception", drawled Fatin from his seat beside the Caliph. "Still, it does not matter. Sinbad's ship is only passing through these waters. He would not come here"

"Perhaps...", admitted the Caliph, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I suppose you are right." He turned with a look of worry to his Grand Vizier. "You don't think the Caliph of Baghdad has sent him here to snoop around, do you? Because if he did, we are in for it! Sinbad is no easy customer.. I've heard extraordinary tales of his valor, cunning and skill-We would be no match for him!"

"Come come, your Highness..", hushed Fatin, raising his palm and clouding the crystal ball much to the chagrin of the Caliph. "You mustn't let such outlandish thoughts disturb your serenity! Rejoice! Your turbulent wait of many years is finally at an end! Behold! Even as we speak, the key that unlocks the treasures of the powerful Djinn has arrived upon the shores of our fair City!" Fatin's oily, languid speech seemed like soothing music to the Caliph's ears. "Soon, very soon.. your Excellency will become a hundred times richer than the Caliph of Baghdad and Mansour will become the greatest ruling City in all Arabia!"

* * *

Sinbad strolled across the deck of his ship, blissfully unaware that his every swinging step, his back leg pushing through and his foot rolling from heel to toe was posing a serious threat to Maeve's precarious perch on his sword's hilt. She locked her arms around the tang and screamed her presence at the top of her lungs. But at the worst of timing,a strong sea breeze drowned out her voice completely.  
"You know, Maeve's feminine intuition may be right this time", confessed Sinbad to Doubar. "Talia is definitely up to something-"Maeve grit her teeth. She hated it when Sinbad casually brushed off her insights as feminine intuition.  
"Her and her one-man crew!",laughed Doubar, heartily.  
"Her one-woman crew",corrected Firouz,equally amused. 


End file.
